How do assign treasure to new high-level PCs?

[Dr_Rictus]

Normally in the absence of a TPK, a dead PC's magic items remain with the group.

"Normal" in this case clearly depends on the campaign. The group I currently DM would never dream of this. They'd be at least shocked, maybe horrified, at the prospect of looting their friend's corpse. One of the PC's recently died in the middle of an adventure, and they haven't even thought to check what items he was carrying. They just wrapped him up and left his mortal frame in the care of the local shrine, expecting to make arrangements with his kin later.

Other groups are much more socialist in nature, considering all magic items to be ultimately the property of the party. Yet others, of course, consider the items to be the property of the dead character but loot the dead unapoligetically, friend or foe.

 

[Ormraxes]

In a campaign I DM'ed two years ago, I let the players start with normal PC wealth, and they could buy whatever they wanted. I ended up regretting it, as the items they chose were somewhat boring and totally predictable. Also, some of the players spent every last gp on magic items and actually asked me for extra "allowance" so they could afford clothes and stuff. If I DM'ed again, I would do things differently. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't give a new character better stuff than he had when he died. And as others have said, letting a new character choose whatever he wants gives him more focused items than a character who has found his items during adventures. Choosing items together, with at least some of the value being tied up in gp, gems, and and other valuables is a good idea.

And all the excess treasure of dead companions might be what prompted our DM to drastically reduce the starting wealth. We have now developed a strategy where the replacement PC is often coincidentally the close relative/best friend of the deceased and naturally the sole heir to his fortune. This works quite well, except when we lose the battle and the dead PC's treasure is lost. And, of course, it isn't that useful when you make a sorcerer, and inherit your former fighter's magic plate mail.

 

[hong]

"Normal" in this case clearly depends on the campaign. The group I currently DM would never dream of this. They'd be at least shocked, maybe horrified, at the prospect of looting their friend's corpse.

In my experience, the reaction depends more on the _player_ whose character died, than anything....